CYBR 650 Week 12 – What is cybersecurity?

This seems a little counter intuitive, but I want to address the topic of what cybersecurity really is as my final post in this class.

When the topic of cybersecurity comes up in conversations, there tends to be some confusion as to what it entails. While knowledge about networking is crucial to be successful in cybersecurity, it is only one piece of the puzzle. 

I started the cybersecurity program with a background in information management. I chose cybersecurity because it is a specialized area of information management, and I loved working with the tools and methodologies. I have family that worked in law enforcement, so I guess you could say I am continuing the family business, albeit in a different environment. Cybersecurity professionals have different types of skill sets, just like any other field. Diversity is the key to having a successful team, and cybersecurity is no different.

As I complete the final phase of my education, I am better equipped to articulate my thoughts and proficiencies in all areas of cybersecurity. In addition to networking, this includes social engineering, computer forensics, physical security, threat modeling, risk management, disaster recovery, etc. The list is endless, and those were only the high-level takeaways. 

I am excited to go forth and make an impression in the cybersecurity field. There is so much more I would like to share, so please feel free to leave a comment anytime. I would love to hear from other cybersecurity professionals, or folks who just want to know more. 

CYBR 650 Week 10 – Security Tools

In week two, we identified credible sources of information for our threat process model. What about tools? There are hundreds of security tools available, so how do we determine which ones to use?

Fortunately, Offensive Security developed Kali Linux in response to this need. Kali is a security distribution of Linux aimed at penetration testing, but it offers so much more. While there are too many tools to go into detail, a complete listing of tools is available at http://tools.kali.org/tools-listing under the following categories:

• 
• Exploitation Tools
• Hardware Hacking
• Forensics Tools
• Information Gathering
• Maintaining Access
• Password Attacks
• Reporting Tools
• Reverse Engineering
• Sniffing & Spoofing
• Stress Testing
• Vulnerability Analysis
• Wireless Attacks
• Web Applications

If you are a fan of Linux, you will not be disappointed. I had installed its predecessor BackTrack a few years ago, and have been hooked since. Which tools are your favorites? Please leave your comments below.

CYBR 650 Week 9 – Action Plan

As we progress through our threat models with the corresponding assignments, I have come to realize that we are only scratching the surface of threat modeling. The Harry and Mae's case study has so many unknown variables that would normally be addressed in a real environment, and consequently gets left out of the assignments. Some of the known variables are generic descriptions, and we have to make assumptions in order to give a proper analysis.

In any case, I feel threat modeling requires much more time to solicit information, document the environment, investigate specific threats and vulnerabilities, calculate the risks, provide more detailed recommendations, and identify metrics for defining success. As students (most of us with full-time jobs), we have limited time to completely cover all aspects, and I have noticed some scope shrinkage in order to demonstrate that we understand the basic concept of the assignments.

It seems that a comprehensive threat analysis would require a diverse team of security consultants working with the in-house network engineers, system admins, and project managers over a span of weeks to encompass everything that would benefit from a security makeover. As a result, I have a much deeper appreciation for the opportunity to learn this process, and for the experts who carry this out on a daily basis.